Well D+ is certainly a better grade than F-, but we’ll confess we find this campaign by Drake University a head scratcher:
Incredibly, this reference to the traditional — and by most standards, suboptimal — grade of D+ (rather than Drake +) is purposive. The copy reads, “D+. When it comes to choosing the college that fits you best, there’s simply no higher grade.” Huh? Are we being too literal here, or is this as moronic as it appears?
One wonders when the marketing team that dreamed this up whilst “breaking through the box” was actually “analyzing every angle.” Without a doubt, however, this campaign is “serving up a different point of view.” Hey . . . it’s opposite day. D+ is the new A+! And folks wonder why our educational standards are slipping. This campaign may be the one exception to the rule that any publicity is good publicity.
If this is “learning by doing,” count us out.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Misthisde Krump // Sep 8, 2010 at 6:31 am
I find the Drake University D+ campaign so mind boggling that I’m at a loss for words. Perhaps the strategist thought that D+ is a good grade, because it’s better than “F”. “D” generally means “Poor” or almost failing, but the plus sign is a sign of optimism. Perhaps the next grade will be C-. Drake U. — where progress is possible. So, you are a D+ student, there is hope for you at Drake. (I think it would be difficult to teach there.)
2 Rob // Sep 14, 2010 at 12:18 am
I think they hired a guy from the U of Arizona, and he’d already mentally invested so much into his “A+” idea that he just couldn’t let it go. I mean, once you think of something that groundbreaking, it’s hard to imagine anything topping it. And the best part is that it’s so flexible, because every word starts with a letter, and you can add a “+” after almost anything! Try it, you’ll see.
Also, “+” makes a great bullet point. Now where have I seen that before…
3 Kumon Logo Strikes Precisely the Right Note of Misery // Jul 29, 2011 at 4:04 pm
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